In 3 days time the people of Scotland will be voting in a referendum on whether Scotland should be an independent country. A year ago most people and the polls said the YES side (those wanting full independence) had not a hope, but a week ago the YES group went ahead in the polls for the first time. Now it seems as if it is going to be a very close call, on friday morning we will know what is Scotland’s destiny..

Im hoping Scotland will vote YES and with that, break away from the Union of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. This democratically elected act would act as a catalyst to further political change in the “British Isles”… Perhaps soon we might see the statelet of “Northern Ireland” also leaving the UK and joining its southern chunk of landmass, the “Republic of Ireland” to form a United Ireland. Also, If Scotland votes yes, it prompts very interesting questions for Spain, will it lead to Catalunya and the Basque country leaving the Spanish union? To Britains democratic credit, at least they are allowing the Scots to make up their own minds on the matter, back in Spain there is no such openess with Madrid still forbiding the Catalans to carry out a similar referendum on the 9th of November. Interesting times in Europe.

A week ago (Saturday 6th September) the YES side edged ahead in the polls for the first time, following its continued rise… in the excellent documentary “Scotland Yet: a film about independence” one can see why this is the case… On the YES side an amazing culture is growing, including art, dialogue, dreaming and vision… it has opened up a collective dialogue about what sort of country the people really wish to live in. It seems to have been a spark, far more than what has been portrayed by the other side… It seems more people are swinging to YES, they have hope and have dropped fear, they are PARTICIPATING in the collective process… This is what democracy should be about, an open invitation for all to share in the processs of making the world they wish to live in… Great to see.

More and more of the radical / progressive groups from England, Ireland, Wales and further afield are also supporting YES, in the hope that if and when it happens, that the spirit of HOPE bursts beyond Scotland, that the passion takes hold in more communities, where normal people start to take control of their own lives and destiny… That they start to engage in the creative process of making spaces and systems that allows their dreams to shape the reality..

This is a very special time, perhaps even the end of a very dark chapter in British and European history, that of moving from the politics of fear and apathy to one of passion, creativity and hope….

Today is day 22 of the Israeli offensive into Gaza. Yet again we see in this mornings news that ANOTHERUN school has been hit by Israeli rockets, 19 killed and 100 injured, as well as a busy city market, killing 15 and wounding dozens. So far, since this attack began there has been more than 1,200 deaths in Gaza, over 200 children killed, while 3 people have died in Israel. Is that proportional? So many children have been injured and killed that Jon Snow, a reporter with Channnel 4 in the UK, has gone as far as asking: Is this a war on children?

The photo above is of 3 of the 4 Bakr family, just seconds before being killed on the beach in Gaza on the 15th of July. However Israel may try to justify their actions, their hollow words are not being accepted by the Irish people. More and more “normal” people are standing up to voice their anger against Israels onslaught, including many people who, as they say themselves, supported Israel in the past. Of course there are those who will defend Israel to the end and who are not going to waver from their pro Zionist position (examples of endless dialogue on Brazil forum here and here), but what is of interest to me, are the millions of normal people who are seeing the reality from Gaza and from that taking a stand for Justice.

The nature of how we receive information has changed radically. Of course the main ways are still there: reading the newspapers, listening to the radio, watching TV. But now people are also getting news via their social media networks; they see disgusting images and videos in their Twitter and Facebook feeds of the reality from the ground. Not only do people see this, but they are also quickly passing on this information on their social media to friends and family in their social networks, little by little the critical dissemination of the truth is unfolding.

It has been claimed that Israel always fight their wars on two fronts; the actual battle ground but also the “communication war”, whose purpose is to sway public opinion to justify their actions. Many commentators have said we are witnessing a critical juncture; it seems that as the ground war goes on further, with all its death and destruction, that Israel is quickly losing the war for hearts and minds. We are seeing much of mainstream media, in the past absolute defenders of Israel, now allowing critical voices and opinions to be expressed. For more on this I would direct you to Paul Mason’s excellent article; “Why Israel is losing the social media war over Gaza” and “Why Israel Is Losing the American Media War” by Benjamin Wallace-Wells.

In regards to the Irish dialogue on Gaza and the shifting of public opinion, I would like to direct you to two very important radio shows that happened last week on the national radio station RTE, both on Liveline. For those not accustomed to Irish ways, it is the show where the nation phones in to “talk to Joe (Duffy)”, to moan about the problems of the day, air their grievances etc. Last week though much time was devoted to covering the reality of the suffering in Gaza, the reasons for the conflict and as to how peace can be achieved. Anyone who listened could find very very little credibility in Israel supporter spin and could only identify with the sheer horror being experienced by the people in the worlds “largest open air prison”; The Gaza Strip. Below are links to podcasts of both shows as well as some more background on the situation. So have a listen and make your own mind up.

Thankfully huge numbers of Irish people have already taken to the streets, are pushing at the government to take real steps in regards to diplomatic relations with the rogue state of Israel. Even Irish doctors have taken a firm stand in denouncing the criminal acts of Israel. In fact again Ireland is being recognized internationally for the high level of support it is making in solidarity with those in Gaza. Hopefully their actions will further inspire people in other countries to do likewise, like Brazil, where this Irishman finds himself, where he is still a little shocked to see so little commentary and support from friends, as well as the showing of actual solidarity in the streets.

Stop #GazaUnderAttack – No to Israeli war crimes – No the ILLEGAL siege of Gaza – Yes to a peaceful transition to the 2 state solution – FREEDOM FOR GAZA – FREEDOM FOR PALESTINE.

In case why people are wondering why there are lots of elephants and a strange mix of colours: red, yellow and purple…

The Spanish king has announced he is abdicating. Many spaniards to move on and want an end to the monarchy, if they succeed it will be the 3rd Republic in Spain, last one ended with the fascist Franco launching his civil war.

1 political party has stated that it will vote NO to the process for the transfer of “king” from Juan Carlos to his son Felipe.

Why the elephants, due to the kings “trip” a few years back, off in africa shooting elephants (not cool) while spanish people suffering the horrific economic crisis and austerity cuts they are still battling against today.

Interesting times in Ireland again. Time to truly leave “Civil war politics“ in the South and move on?

On Friday it was the local and European elections in Ireland, Sinn Féin have scored massively in local elections, especially in the cities. They are set to be the largest party in Belfast, Dublin, Derry, Cork city councils. The mixed bag of independents and small parties also scored hugely. Sinn Fein are an island wide party, not the only one, as People Before Profit also are island wide and took seats.

The established political system has been given a massive shake up, with ex TD Joe Higgins on RTE radio calling it nothing short of a “democratic revolution for change”. Present Irish Fine Gael minister, Leo Varadkar went as far as saying he could see Sinn Féin leading the next government, something considered impossible only five years ago. No one was expecting such a sea change, who knows what it might lead to further down the line?

Going back to 1918, we remember what huge changes came from little sparks. As it is not the first time that there has been a huge surge in support for Sinn Fein. Soon after the failed rebellion of 1916, after executions and imprisonment of many Irish rebels, the party grew massively all over the island. They formed their own illegal government and fought a war for Irish freedom, the results of which were the half win of a partitioned island that led to a bloody civil war and the party’s demise. But the world took note; a small island nation stood up to the greatest empire the world had ever seen, the took them on and they forced change. Sinn Fein have done it before, might this weekend be the first step in another chapter in that story?

Philip Parris “Phil” Lynott (/ˈlaɪnət/; 20 August 1949 – 4 January 1986) was an Irish singer and musician. His most commercially successful group was Thin Lizzy, in which he was the founding member, principal songwriter, lead vocalist and bassist. He later also found success as a solo artist.

Growing up in Dublin in the 1960s, Lynott fronted several bands as a lead vocalist, most notably Skid Row alongside Gary Moore, before learning the bass guitar and forming Thin Lizzy in 1969. After initial success with Whiskey in the Jar, the band found strong commercial success in the mid-1970s with hits such as “The Boys Are Back in Town“, “Jailbreak” and “Waiting for an Alibi“, and became a popular live attraction due to the combination of Lynott’s vocal and songwriting skills and the use of dual lead guitars. Towards the end of the 1970s, Lynott also embarked upon a solo career, published two books of poetry,[1] and after Thin Lizzy disbanded, he assembled and fronted the band Grand Slam, of which he was the leader until it folded in 1985.

He subsequently had major UK success with Moore with the song “Out in the Fields“, followed by a minor hit “Nineteen”, before his death on 4 January 1986. He remains a popular figure in the rock world, and in 2005, a statue was erected in his memory. (via wikipedia)